I have been on Adderall IR for several months for adult ADHD. I started at 15 mg a day and went up to 30 mg/day. At first I was surprised how I ever lived without Adderall-I became more focused/organized and the boss's favorite in no time. I do still drink coffee several times a day and I sleep fine. But my doc and I had to reduce the dose down this summer because i was sweating and shaking profusely. Plus on my long days at work when I took the full dose-I never ate anything(which I believe has something to do with the sweating).

I am also more agitated, little things get to me ALOT more than when I don't take Adderall. Which means the boss isn't always as happy anymore. So my question is-has anyone went with a different ADHD med when Adderall didn't seem to work?? Stimulant or non-stimulant? My doctor initially prescribed Concerta, but my insurance said no. Please let me know as I would like to get an appt with my doctor to change my med. Thanks.

Here is my experience with Adderall. I was initially diagnosed with ADHD a little over 2 years ago. My pdoc and I found the right dose by trial and error. The main problems that I experienced with different Adderall doses were that it wasn't effective for a long enough period of time, and the "crashes" during the day with multiple IR doses was unbearable. Here are the iterations that we went through with Adderall before we got it "right":

10 mg IR 3 times a day (3 months)
15 mg IR 2-3 times a day (~4 months)
20 mg XR once a day (1 month)
25 mg XR once a day (1 month)
25 mg XR am, 20 mg XR pm (~ 4 months)
25 mg XR am, 10 mg IR pm (** Success!! Have been on this regimen several months now. This combination has been working well for me. I still feel the peaks and valleys, but they are not as pronounced. Also, I do not feel that I have built up any tolerance to this adderall dosage. **) Somtimes, I take an XR on weekends, but I normally only take the meds on weekdays.

Have you ever taken the XR version of adderall? Have you tried reducing your caffeine consumption? I rarely consume caffeinated beverages, especially days when I am taking the medication. When I first started taking Adderall IR, I had trouble sleeping and my appetite decreased (I lost more than 10 lbs the first month). I began supplementing my meals with Ensure in the evening time. My appetite gradually improved. As far as feeling agitated, the only time I feel agitated is when the effects of the med are wearing off.

ok when I was trying adderall the pdoc gave me
"D-amphetamine salt combo 10 mg" btw it's from corepharma
I guess, like it says on the bottle, it's generic for adderall.
I am thinking it's IR because she said I could take up to 4 a day.
But I was so sensitive to it, I could only take 5mg at first for a week
and go up ....eventually I stopped because even 10mg seemed too heavy..
it was like every other day was bad or productive...and I was moody or happy..
Anyway....just wondering if either of you posters had a generic or brand name and if you thought it made a difference....

Actually things are improving as of late, i went back to my doctor-he cut the dose in half. He believes my shaking/sweating issues are related to the "crash". He said I need to take it 4 hours after my first dose. I waited til lunch-noon, and took my first dose at 4am when I left for work.

As for the Concerta-he really talked me down about it. He said the notes from the psychologist indicated ADHD as a diagnosis and he was most comfortable with Adderall. I started to increase my dose over Christmas-and I am sittiing at 10mg breakfast, 10mg 9am, and then 5mg at 2pm(on my long shift). This is working very nice and smooth. Thanks for asking, means alot-happy new years to you both